Shisha enthusiasts have until April 3, 2017 to get their fix before bylaw officers start enforcing a hookah ban passed at council Wednesday.
Coun. George Darouze’s failed attempt to delay a hookah pipe ban wouldn’t have made much difference anyway, said shisha lounge owner Mahmoud El-Sayed.
He owns Bay Rock Café in South Keys with his wife.
It’s solely a shisha bar: it doesn’t serve food or alcohol, only hot and cold drinks and, of course, the flavoured herbal shisha that bring customers in.
On Wednesday, council approved a water pipe ban for public places, including private businesses.
It technically comes into force Dec. 1, but enforcement will be delayed to April 3, 2017 to give businesses a chance to regroup.
Darouze tried on Wednesday to delay enforcement even further to Sept. 30, 2017, but he found very little support around the council table.
Most councillors sided with Dr. Isra Levy, the city’s medical officer of health, who told council there’s “a sufficient body of evidence” to suggest serious health risks associated with shisha and its second-hand smoke.
“Fundamentally, what we’re talking about is smoking with a different name, with the risks being the same or similar,” said Coun. David Chernushenko. “The device to me becomes irrelevant.”
But for El-Sayed, the extra five months wouldn’t have solved his business problem, anyway.
For one thing, the summer is slow season for shisha cafes, so the delay wouldn’t have added much money to his coffers as he prepared to change his business model.
And getting a liquor license can only go so far to keep his business going, El-Sayed said.
With a 1,500-sq ft shop, he could only have 30 customers at a time if he was serving alcohol – effectively cutting his 70-seat business in half.
“Thirty seats is not good enough to cover my expenses,” he said.
He expects he’ll have to close, with three years still left on his lease.
Darouze was the only councillor to vote against the hookah ban entirely, arguing it’s a cultural attack and unnecessary hand-holding in the name of public health.
Only councillors Michael Qaqish and Jody Mitic supported his attempt to push enforcement back. However, Mitic pulled his support for Darouze’s second suggested change to allow festivals to apply for a special water pipe permit.
Resource: http://www.metronews.ca/news/ottawa/2016/08/31/ottawa-council-approves-water-pipe-hookah-ban.html
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